Annotated List of Links for British Isles Family History
and Genealogy

A BIFHS-USA finding aid

Originally selected and annotated by William T.
Mooney, Jr. & Linda Jonas. Maintained by
Linda Jonas.

This list of links is
intended to save viewers time, money, and energy in accessing World Wide
Web and other Internet sites of importance to British Isles family
historians and genealogists.

The British Isles
consists of England, Ireland (i.e. Northern Ireland and
the Republic of Ireland), Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands,
and the Isle of Man. These links will direct you to resource sites
for the British Isles as a whole unit or to sites that focus on one of
these six "lands" or regions. Each listing is annotated to help the
viewer understand the nature of the site-sponsoring organization and
what information to expect when visiting the referenced web pages.

All link sections will
have the following categories if suitable sites have been identified:

Information and Introduction to Research for this region.

Repositories (e.g., archives, libraries, museums, record offices,
and registry offices), and Societies involved in British Isles family
history and genealogy.

Go to Links
for:

Link to Sites Related
to the General British Isles

Researchers for
each of the six regions should investigate the sites related to the
General British Isles as well as their particular regions of interest
because information for their region is often included in these sites.

Repositories and
Societies for the General British Isles

The British Library
site provides quick access to an index for the world famous library.
The index categories are on-line, collections, exhibitions, digital
library, services, and information. British Library collection
sub-categories of value to family history researchers include Africa,
Manuscripts, Maps, Newspapers, Oriental & India Office.

The FFHS member
list includes almost 200 organizations throughout the world including
national, regional, and one-name groups. The FFHS coordinates and
assists the societies and other bodies interested in Family History,
Genealogy, and Heraldry and fosters cooperation and regional projects.
This site is a gateway to information about the FFHS publications,
record indexing and transcription activities, lectures and
conferences, and contact information for member groups.

Look in this
register for researchers directing one-name studies, projects
researching all occurrences of a surname, as opposed to a particular
pedigree (ancestors of one person) or descendancy (descendants of one
person or couple). The GOONS web-site lists all registered surnames
and how to contact the coordinator for that name as well as
information about publications and other resources of the Society.

The PRO is the
national archive of England, Wales and the United Kingdom. You can
search the Public Record
Office Catalogue online. The web pages include links for
inquiries about visiting the PRO, its records, and information for
genealogists such as Records Information Leaflets.

The SOG promotes
and encourages the study of genealogy and heraldry. This website
includes information on membership, the library collection and usage,
publications, meetings and courses, and research. The library
collection is comprised of parish registers, printed and typescript
family histories, and vast indexes as well as other books,
manuscripts, microfilms, and microfiche.

This is an
annotated list of over 100 Internet sites for archival repositories in
the Channel Islands, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. A
link is provided for each listing. The repositories listed include
national, county, and city institutions as well as those affiliated
with universities, research institutes, professional societies,
corporations, and others. This web-page was initially produced as part
of a Master?s degree project at the School of Library, Archive and
Information Studies at the University College London by Simon Wilson.

Searchable
Databases Related to the General British Isles

This GenDocS site
contains abbreviations and acronyms gathered over many years and from
many sources, including British 19th century census returns, used by
genealogists and historians . Use the find function on your
browser to search for either an abbreviation or acronym or for the
full word, phrase, or name represented. The use and derivation
of abbreviations and acronyms is discussed in an associated page.

The National
Register of Archives (NRA) collects and disseminates information about
manuscript sources for British history. The NRA consists of lists and
catalogs describing the holdings of local record offices, national and
university libraries, specialist repositories, museums, and other
bodies in the UK and abroad, and papers held privately by individuals.
You can even search by personal name for documents relating to a
particular individual.

This is the
electronic version of The Ordnance Survey of Great Britain. It
identifies every place in the Landranger map series. To search the
database, you enter a placename and then click the Search
button. The search will return the name of the place, its
County, a 4 figure Ordnance Survey grid reference on the Landranger
map (tile reference [SZ, TQ etc.], plus 4 digits within the 100Km
square) and the number of the 1:50 000 Landranger series map on which
the place appears.

This is a Ron
Taylor UK Census Finding Aids and Indexes web site. It links to
database files of strays in the 1851 census. These are people who were
born in one county but found in the census enumeration in a different
county. The information in the database includes surname, given name,
county of birth, county of census enumeration, and reference number
for more data on the person. The files are organized by counties and
alphabetically by surnames within the county. Consult the first page
for counties currently included. Eventually all English, Scottish and
Welsh counties will be included.

This is a GENUKI
page that brings together links to the listings of Surnames being
researched in the different counties. It includes the names and
Internet e-mail addresses of the researchers concerned. It also
includes a link to a list of (mainly) Fidonet (a separate internet
network) users and the surnames they are researching in the UK and
Ireland. Consult the first page for counties presently included.

Chris Gaunt and
John Fuller provide links to United Kingdom sites organized in the
categories: UK & Ireland, England, Channel Islands, Ireland, Isle
of Man, Scotland, and Wales. The list also includes English county
sites, Gibraltar, India and relevant Usenet newsgroups and mailing
lists

GENUKI is an
information service web site that provides links to genealogy-related
information sites for all of the British Isles as well as for the
regions of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and
the Isle of Man. The information is organized according to the
categories listed in the Family History Library Catalog and includes
archives and libraries, bibliography, cemeteries, census, chronology,
church records, civil registration, colonization, description and
travel, emigration and immigration, gazetteers, genealogy,
handwriting, heraldry, history, land and property, maps, merchant
marine, military, military history, military records, names-personal,
newspapers, occupations, periodicals, population, probate, societies,
and taxation.

Periodicals and
Publications for the General British Isles

"Computers in
Genealogy," a quarterly published by the Society of Genealogists,
helps genealogists use computers, share experiences, minimise effort
in organizing information and designing programs, and report progress
in such applications. This site includes information on the latest
news, forthcoming events and contents of the issues. They
encourage contributions and make it easy to contact the editor.
Subscriptions & back issues can be ordered online. Detailed
content information is available for all issues since 1994.
Links are provided to authors and reviewers as well as for each site
mentioned in the articles as well as the news and web watch sections
of current and back issues.

England

Information &
Introduction to Research for England

Before proceeding
with your English research in other sites, you should study the Guide
to British Isles Research. This guide contains a listing of many of
the most important sources for English research. Most of these sources
are available on microform from the Family History Library. This guide
gives a brief summary of each source including the FHL call number.

The Administrative
Areas of England is a table that lists each historic county of
England, its common abbreviation, its three-letter Chapman County
Code, administrative subdivisions, and successor counties. Each county
is linked to an outline map that shows its location in England.

Repositories &
Societies for England

This is a listing
of family history societies in England with addresses and links to
their web pages. You are strongly encouraged to join a family history
society that focuses on the area where your ancestor lived

Searchable
Databases for England

The General
Register Office (St. Catherine's House) indexes to marriages have
separate listings for brides and grooms. If you know the name of one
spouse only, it is often difficult to identify the entry you need.
This database is an ongoing project to reorganize the marriage
indexes, making them easier to use.

This is a national index to paupers in workhouses compiled from a
Parliamentary Paper. The name of the pauper is given along with the
name of the workhouse and county, the reason he was unable to maintain
himself, and the number of years and months he received relief. This
is a 10% sample of the full list which is available on microfiche.

This site contains a list of inmates, victims, and others associated
with Newgate Prison in London. The names are taken from the book, "The
Chronicles of Newgate," by Arthur Griffiths (1896). The list gives the
name and page number of each person mentioned in the book. You can
send an e-mail inquiry for further information.

Here are the names of 1640 officers and men who served in the
various ships of the Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. The rank of
each man and the name of the ship is included. This site also contains
a list of British ships at Trafalgar, and a list of officers killed or
wounded.

GENUKI is an
information service web site that provides links to genealogy-related
information sites for all the British Isles. This links to the
pages for England include a link to family history and genealogy
information and records for each of the counties. Information
related to all of England is included in the following sections:
Archives and Libraries, Biography, Census, Church Records, Civil
Registration, Description and Travel, Genealogy, History, Migration -
Internal, Military History, Names - Personal, Obituaries, Occupations,
Poorhouses - Poor Law, etc., Population, Probate, Public Records, and
Taxation. Links to other sites are included in some of these
sections.

Ireland
and Northern Ireland

Information &
Introduction to Research for Ireland & Northern Ireland

Before proceeding
with your Irish research in other sites, you should study the Ireland
section of the Guide to British Isles Research. This guide describes
many of the most important records for Irish research, most of which
are available from the Family History Library (FHL). FHL call numbers
are included.

This guide from the
National Archives of Ireland tells you the information you will need
to know to begin research in Irish records. There is information about
the major Irish records of interest to genealogists and family
historians.

This is the
National Library of Ireland's guide to family history research. It
tells what information must be known to commence research in Irish
records. The guide describes the principal genealogical sources held
in the National Library of Ireland.

This is a superb
guide to Irish family history research. It is written by the Public
Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and describes how to use the
major Irish records. Included are church records, valuation records,
census and census substitutes, wills and testamentary records, landed
estate records, emigration records, poor law records, registry of
deeds, and many others. Many of these records are available on
microfilm from the Family History Library. Read about the Irish
records on this site and before commissioning research in Ireland use
the Family History Library Catalog to see if the records are available
in the U.S.

This website
provides information abut the National Library of Ireland, its
services, publications, and events. Especially important at this site
are the well-written descriptions of the printed books, manuscripts,
newspapers and periodicals, official publications, photographs, prints
and drawings, and maps held by the National Library of Ireland. There
is also a guide to family history research.

Visit the Public
Record Office of Northern Ireland without leaving your home. You can
take a virtual tour on this site. There is also an excellent guide to
Irish records and a good list of Irish links.

The Irish
Genealogical Society, International (IGSI) is dedicated to the study
and advancement of Irish genealogy worldwide. Here you can find out
more about the society and visit the IGSI bookstore. The main strength
of this site is its outstanding list of Irish links.

The Irish Family
History Foundation is the coordinating body for a network of
governmental-approved genealogical research centers (Heritage Centres)
that conduct research in computerized records for a fee.

The NIFHS exists to
foster interest in Family History with special reference to families
who have roots in the North of Ireland. This web site includes
sections on the 1798 Rebellion, NIFHS branches, FAQs, Research
Interests of Members (searchable database), Membership information,
Affiliated Organizations, Links to Irish and Scottish (especially
Ayrshire) sites, Publications, and forthcoming activities. Postings in
the Members Surname Interests listing is limited to members only;
searching can be done by anyone accessing the site.

TIARA was
established to promote the study and exchange of information about
Irish genealogical and historical research. At this site you can read
the results of the Irish Heritage Centre Customer Satisfaction Survey
which you may want to review before commissioning research at an Irish
Heritage Centre. The TIARA site also has an extensive list of Irish
links.

The UHF is a
professional and comprehensive ancestral research service for the
historic province of Ulster. This web site includes information on the
Ancestral Research Service; the Ulster Genealogical & Historical
Guild; the UHF Subscriber's Interests Database (searchable by name and
location); the annual Irish Genealogy Lecture Tour of USA; the annual
Family History & Heritage Conference; and the UHF Book List of
publications available through Familia, the UHF bookstore. Order forms
are included for the both the Research Service and Publications.

Searchable
Databases For Ireland & Northern Ireland

The National
Archives of Ireland holds a wide range of records relating to
transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia covering the
period 1788 to 1868. In some cases these include records of members of
convicts' families transported as free settlers. The most important of
these records, transportation and petitions to the government, have
been indexed. This index is searchable for any combination of words.
Information includes name, age, sex, place and date of trial, place of
imprisonment, document date, crime, sentence, ship, reference, and
comments.

Eventually the
IreAtlas Project database will be a comprehensive, cross-referenced,
on-line, searchable genealogical atlas of Ireland. Currently in the
first phase of construction, it includes more than 30,000 of the
64,000 place names in the Irish index to towns/townlands on-line.
Later phases will include place names from other sources. The initial
search page details the Towns and Townlands presently in the database.
The researcher may enter any combination of Townland, County, Barony,
Civil Parish, or Poor Law Union. The search will return all Townlands
that fit the search parameters and indicate the number of acres,
County, Barony, Parish, and Poor Law Union and other names for the
Townland.

The purpose of this
website is to identify and locate Northern Irish historical and
genealogical materials, to link to sites that contain such
information, and to extract and present documents that are difficult
to obtain. Each item is listed with full bibliographic reference. When
the materials are available from the Family History Library, the FHL
call numbers are given.

Periodicals and
Publications for Ireland and Northern Ireland

This journal is,
unfortunately, no longer published and no longer has its own website,
but back issues can be purchases through the above link. "THE IRISH At
Home and Abroad" was an excellent quarterly journal focusing on record
sources and strategies for Irish and Irish immigrant genealogical
research.

Before proceeding
with your Scottish research in other sites, you should
study the Scotland section of the Guide to British Isles Research.
This guide describes many of the most important records for Scottish
research, most of which are available from the Family History Library
(FHL). FHL call numbers are included.

The two Statistical
Accounts of Scotland, covering the 1790s and the 1830s, are among the
best contemporary reports of life during the agricultural and
industrial revolutions in Europe. Based largely on information
supplied by each parish church minister, the old (first) Statistical
Account and the New (second) Statistical Account provide a rich record
of a wide variety of topics: wealth, class and poverty; climate,
agriculture, fishing and wildlife; population, schools, and the moral
health of the people. Both the Old (1791-1799) and the New (1834-1835)
versions are available as superb quality scans for free on the Web.

Repositories
& Societies for Scotland

A listing of
national, regional, and local libraries, archive centres, local
history centres, and museums. The listing gives the name, street
location, mailing address, telephone, e-mail, and web site for each
institution, its hours of operation, and more.

The GRO is
responsible for the registration of births, marriages, deaths,
divorces and adoptions in Scotland, and for carrying out periodic
censuses of Scotland?s population. The GRO home page includes links to
frequently asked questions (FAQ?s), services & products, research
reports on most popular names in contemporary Scotland, and the Hall
of Fame. A searchable database of Scottish birth, marriage, marriage,
and death records from the GRO became available on 6 April 1998. See
the link for Scots Origins under the category "Searchable Databases
for Scotland."

The NLS is
Scotland?s premier library, both a general research library of
international importance and the world?s leading repository for the
printed and manuscript record of Scotland?s history and culture. The
NLS home page includes links to these pages: about the library, what?s
on, collections and catalogues, services, and on-line resources.

The Registers of
Scotland Executive Agency is responsible for property registers and
Chancery and Judicial Registers. The property registers are the
Register of Sasines, and the Land Register. This site discusses the
history, purpose, description, and location of the Register of
Sasines; information about the Land Register which in 1979 was created
to replace the existing Sasine Register; and information about the
Chancery & Judicial Registers, the most important of which are the
Register of Inhibitions & Adjudications and the Register of Deeds.
The site also includes a section on the History of the Registers of
Scotland.

The SGS promotes
research into Scottish family history and collects, exchanges, and
publishes material relating to genealogy. This site includes
information on purpose, membership, publications, meetings, location,
and library holdings of the Society.

The name of the
Scottish Record Office was changed to the National Archives of
Scotland in 1999. NAS holdings include an enormous amount of archival
material, much of which is of direct interest to family historians.

Searchable
Databases for Scotland

Indexes to Scottish
births and marriages from 1553-1899, and deaths from 1855-1924 are
available from this site for a fee. Once you find an entry in the
index, you can order the full certificate from the same site. The
census index for 1891 is also available.

Provides links to
sites concerned with Scotland and Scottish genealogy & family
history topics in these categories: genealogy resources, general
information about Scotland, university resources, and other
interesting sites. Includes some sites not found on other listed
lists.

Provides links to
extensive genealogical and family history information sites for each
county of Scotland including searchable query databases where they
exist. Also links to brief information related to all of Scotland as
follows: archives & libraries, biography, cemeteries, census
returns, church history, church records, civil registration, court
records, emigration and immigration, encyclopedias and dictionaries,
genealogy, handwriting, history, kirk session records, land &
property, language and languages, law & legislation, names ?
geographical and personal, newspapers, nobility, occupations,
population, social life and customs, societies, and taxation.

Wales

Information &
Introduction to Research for Wales

Before proceeding
with your Welsh research in other sites, you should study the England
and Wales section of the Guide to British Isles Research. This guide
describes many of the most important records for Welsh research, most
of which are available from the Family History Library (FHL). FHL call
numbers are included.

Part of the GENUKI
site, this is a guide to general Welsh research. It tells how to begin
your research and explains Welsh names, Welsh counties, civil
registration, census, church records, probate records, and many
lesser-used sources. The guide gives names, addresses, telephone
numbers, and operational hours of archives and libraries with
significant collections of Welsh records.

Repositories &
Societies for Wales

A national
organization dedicated to promoting Welsh culture, its history, rich
heritage and links to Wales, among all aspects of American
society. The website includes information about the Foundation
as well as links to local Welsh societies in the USA and Canada,
national and international Welsh organizations. They have links
to the BBC, online newspapers, sports sites, and tourist attractions.

Gateway Sites to
Other Wales Content Sites

Links to family
history and genealogy-related sites for Wales organized as follows:
general resource sites; GENUKI resources by county, government and
cities; history and culture; libraries, archives and museums; mailing
lists, newspaper and chat; maps, gazetteers and geographical
information; military; newspapers; people and families; professional
researchers, volunteers and other resource services; publications,
software and supplies; queries, message boards, and surname lists;
records, census, cemetery, land, obits, personal, taxes and vital;
religion and churches; societies and groups.

This is a brief
introduction to Jersey research. It includes a listing of the 12
Jersey parishes and sections on civil registration in Jersey, census,
parish registers, non-conformist records, cemeteries, official
records, almanacs and rate lists, useful addresses, and recommended
books.

Repositories &
Societies for Channel Islands

General information
about the Channel Islands Family History Society. Members who cannot
attend meetings can listen to audiotapes available on loan. This site
includes a contents list of Channel Islands FHS journal articles.

Isle
of Man

Information &
Introduction to Research for Isle of Man

"A Manx Notebook:
An Electronic Compendium of Matters Past and Present Connected with
the Isle of Man" contains historical, geographical, and genealogical
information about the Isle of man. It is a very comprehensive site for
Manx family history.

Here is a wonderful
source of information about Manx genealogy. Included are GEDCOM files,
a genealogy database, a parish map showing locations of churches, a
description of family history sources for the Isles of Man (including
locations of records), information about the Isles of Man FHS and the
North American Manx Association and other items of interest to Manx
researchers.

This is one of the
subsections of "A Manx Notebook" focusing on information about Manx
family history. There are sections for demographic issues, family
names, genealogy, armorial bearings, indices to Family History
Society, and parishes. The section on genealogy contains the
description, location, and dates of commencement of records. It also
has an excellent summary of records available from the Family History
Library with FHL film numbers included.

Repositories
& Societies for Isle of Man

Available here is
information about the Isle of Man Family History Society and how to
join. The Isle of Man FHS journal articles are indexed on this site by
family name and by topic. The complete text of journal articles from
1979 to 1990 is available to download. There is additional online data
available to members only.